Get Started with Dashboard Designer

Overview

Examine different reports, have quick web access, or view charts and graphs from one screen.

Dashboard Designer allows you to create dashboards with little or no training. The dashboard is several different reports brought together inside one screen. Use Dashboard Designer if you want to create an interface to view many different reports at once, have quick access to web pages that you visit often, or view dynamic charts and graphs within a space while you create reports in another.

Dashboard Sample - Regional Sales

This section highlights some popular Dashboard Designer capabilities that are available, using the sample dashboard called Regional Sales, located in the Getting Started widget.

In the Getting Started widget on the Home page, click the Samples tab.

Click to select Regional Sales from the scrolling panel on the right.

Click Explore in the Samples pane.

A new window opens showing the Regional Sales sample dashboard.

Tour the Dashboard Panels

You can view the editable version of the Regional Sales dashboard in Dashboard Designer by going to the Browse Files page in the User Console, and following these quick steps.

In the Folders pane, click to expand the Public folder, then click to highlight the Steel Wheels folder.

In the center pane, double-click on Regional Sales. The Opened page appears with the dashboard and panels active.

Item

Name

Function

Opened view

Displays quick access buttons across the top to create and save new Analysis reports, Interactive reports, and Dashboards. Opened reports and files show as a series of tabs across the page.

Prompts panel

The Prompts panel gives you a way to add filters to the individual parts of your dashboard.

Browse Folders and Files panel

Locate your files using the Browse and Files panels, and add them to dashboards.

Dashboard canvas

Shows a dynamic view of your Dashboard as you work to build it. The look of your dashboard refreshes as you add content from the Browse Folders and Files panels, and work with the Prompts or Objects panels.

Objects panel

Refine the look of your dashboard with the Objects panel by choosing a dashboard template or changing the titles for each object in the dashboard.

Create Your First Dashboard

From the User Console Home page, click Create New, then choose Dashboard.

In the Edit Pane, click Templates tab and select the 2 over 1 layout to use for this exercise.

Click Properties, and type My Dashboard in the Page Title text box. This is the title for your dashboard page.

The name you entered appears on the top left corner of the dashboard.

Click the Themes tab and select the theme of your choice. The new theme will be applied to your dashboard immediately.

Click the Properties tab and type My Dashboard in the Page Title text box. This is the title for your dashboard page.

Locate the Analyzer report you created earlier by going to the Browse pane to the left of the Dashboard canvas and clicking on the Users folder and clicking to highlight your folder. Click-and-drag the Territory - Sales file from the Files pane and onto the top-left dashboard panel.

Within the Edit Pane, type Territory - Sales in the Title text box and click Apply. The dashboard panel is populated with the Territory - Sales report .

Locate your Interactive report by going to the Browse pane to the left of the Dashboard canvas and clicking on theUsers folder and clicking to highlight your folder. Click-and-drag the First Interactive Report file from the Files pane and onto the top-right dashboard panel.

Within the Edit Pane, type First Interactive Report in the Title text box and click Apply. The right dashboard panel is populated by the First Interactive Report report. You can drag any report from the Steel Wheels folder in Public into the bottom dashboard panel.

Click on the Save as icon in the toolbar. When the Save As dialog box appears, save your dashboard as My Dashboard in your user folder and click Save.

Close the dashboard, then go to Browse Files and double-click on My Dashboard in the Files pane.

You have successfully created a simple Dashboard from scratch. Use Dashboard Designer illustrates how to work with complex dashboards.